Understanding resilience: Implications for the water sector

Abstract

Policy rhetoric around water resources and infrastructure increasingly emphasises the need to promote 'resilience' within water and wastewater systems. This trend is particularly evident in countries like the United Kingdom-take, for instance, the Water Services Regulation Authority's (Ofwat) recent report on the need for 'Resilient [water] supplies' (Ofwat 2010). The UK Government also recently published the Water for Life White Paper (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) 2011), which outlines its strategy for reforming the water sector and stresses the need to develop 'secure, sustainable and resilient water resources'.